“The phase II construction of The Home Depot Center is a natural next step for what has become one of the nation’s most complete training facilities,” said General Manager Rod O’Connor.  “The construction plans will expand our breadth of facilities and amenities we offer to athletes at all levels of competition.”  

The Home Depot Center is currently the training home to four national governing bodies, including the United States Soccer Federation (USSF), United States Tennis Association (USTA), USA Cycling and USA Track & Field.  There are more than 1,000 elite athletes who train year-round at The Home Depot Center, named an official U.S. Olympic Training Site when it opened in 2003.

The United States Olympic Committee (USOC) operates three Olympic Training Centers in the United States -- Colorado Springs, CO; Chula Vista, CA; and, Lake Placid, NY -- at which thousands of athletes train in preparation for the Olympic and Paralympic Games.  The USOC also provides official recognition to a number of U.S. Olympic Training Sites throughout the United States, of which The Home Depot Center is one.

Los Angeles is one of just two U.S. cities remaining in competition to be the USOC’s candidate to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to host the 2016 Games. The SCCOG’s bid plans were submitted to the USOC on January 22. The USOC has said that it will make a final decision on April 14, 2007.  The IOC will announce the host city in October 2009.

About the Southern California Committee for the Olympic Games (SCCOG)
Formed in 1939, the SCCOG is a non-profit organization whose mission is to promote the Olympic movement in Southern California.  Since its inception, the SCCOG has bid for the Olympic Games on behalf of and in conjunction with the City of Los Angeles, garnering the award of the Games for 1984.  Hailed world-wide for their near-flawless organization, the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles generated an operating surplus of $235 million (in 1984 dollars).  Further information about the SCCOG can be found on their website at www.sccog.org.

About The Home Depot Center
The Home Depot Center is southern California’s home of world-class competition and training facilities for amateur, Olympic, collegiate and professional athletes.  The $150 million, privately financed facility was developed and is operated by AEG on a 125-acre site on the campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) in Carson, California.  The Home Depot Center features an 8,000-seat tennis stadium, a 27,000-seat stadium for soccer, rugby and other athletic competitions and outdoor concerts, a 10,000-seat facility for track & field and lacrosse, the ADT Event Center (a 2,450-seat indoor velodrome for cycling) and other facilities for softball, baseball, beach volleyball, basketball and other sports. The Home Depot Center is home to three professional sports teams – Major League Soccer’s Los Angeles Galaxy and Chivas USA, and Major League Lacrosse’s (MLL) Los Angeles Riptide.  Named an Official U.S. Olympic Training Site, The Home Depot Center is also home of the United States Tennis Association’s (USTA) High Performance Training Center and is the national team training headquarters for the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF).  The David Beckham Academy for youth soccer, Andre Agassi’s Safe Passage All-Stars at-risk youth tennis program and Athletes’ Performance’s training center for elite and professional athletes are all based at The Home Depot Center.  The Home Depot Center has additionally been designated official training sites for USA Cycling and USA Track & Field.  For more information, please visit www.homedepotcenter.com.